We are very careful not to claim more for ourselves than we should down here on the south coast. Our councils are doing their best to deliver services to citizens in difficult times with the minimum of fuss. But this summer is the tenth anniversary of shared services between Adur District and Worthing Borough councils.

Back in 2007 some people said the politicians and council officials running the show were ‘mad' to pioneer such a thing – they'd fall on their faces, services would suffer and identities would be lost. Ten years later and some £17m saved over the piece, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone saying that now.